Farming is extremely essential for the sustenance of a country’s economic prosperity. However, without the utilization of hand tools, farming becomes next to impossible. As the demand for food is increasing due to the growing population, there is a need for better and more efficient tools. Furthermore, it is unthinkable to run an entire farm without the use of quality equipment, no matter how skilled the farmer is. Therefore, it is essential that new and improved hand tools are used in the contemporary times.
Farmers’ hand tools not only increase productivity, but it also lowers the total expenditure of the farm. Hence, it is extremely necessary to spend on good quality tools. Additionally, hand tools have greatly aided farmers by reducing the time of production. Hence, these tools are a great stimulant of productivity. Since farming is a time consuming job, hand tools are designed to ease the innumerable hardships of the farmer. Not only do these tools aid to get the tasks done faster, but it also manages to yield the maximum amount of results in a commendable amount of time. Hence, these handheld tools have become inseparable entities to the world of farming.
Some of the hand tools that are used by farmers are:
• Hand Sickle
A sickle is a hand-held agricultural tool that has a curved blade. This blade is predominantly used to harvest grain crops or cut succulent forage. The farmers then use the garnered items to feed their livestock. Thus, this rounded device is utilized in farming for reaping grain products.
• Axe
The axe is an agricultural tool used mainly for shaping, splitting and cutting wood. It generally has a handle and a sharpened axe head. In the contemporary times, the axe now contains a blade of steel that is mostly sharpened on both ends. Even though it is now being slowly replaced by powered saws and other machinery, it remains a widely used tool with a wide variety of uses.
• Hoe
The hoe is one of the oldest farmers’ hand tools that is used to shape the soil, control weeds, clear soil and harvest the root crops. A hoe can also be used to control the vast amount of weeds that are usually witnessed on the farm. Lastly, hoes can be used for digging and moving the soil used in the harvesting of root crops.
• Pickaxe
A pickaxe, also known as a pick, is a hand tool with a hard head attached perpendicular to the handle. Pickaxes are used mainly for landscaping, breaking up hard surfaces and also as farming implements. The head of the pickaxe is made of metal and consists of a pointed and a blunt end. The blunt end is used to pry things up, while the pointed end is to break up hard surfaces. In fact, a pickaxe can often break up soils that a shovel is incapable of. Also, dry and hardened clay or rocky soils can also be broken up with the help of a pickaxe.
• Sabal
This is one of the simplest farmers’ hand tools still utilized in agriculture for digging work. It is a solid rod with a flattened end, used for making holes in which plants can be transplanted or making holes to construct fencing or houses.